BOLTON’S Conservative MP says his party would have fared far better at the General Election had the Prime Minister listened to her backbenchers.

Theresa May told Chris Green and other members of the Tory backbench 1922 committee on Monday night: “I’m the person who got us into this mess and I’m the one who will get us out of it.”

Yesterday, the Prime Minister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster held critical talks on a deal to prop up a Tory minority administration.

Chris Green, whose re-election as MP for Bolton West was an election night highlight for the Tories, says their General Election campaign was too heavily focused on Mrs May.

He said: “The Prime Minister accepted responsibility for the passage of the campaign and promised to commit to listening to backbenchers and colleagues more and to reflect their views and interests.

“That is exactly what I have been trying to do in my time as an MP in terms to representing the people of Bolton West.

“There is a feeling that if the Prime Minister had spoken to people more during the campaign then it would have gone far better.

“That is a huge lesson that has to be learned for the future.”

Last week, Bolton Tory leader Cllr David Greenhalgh said that their manifesto had been ‘a disaster’, and Mr Green has also been critical.

He added: “It was too presidential a campaign, but what it comes down to ultimately is policy.

“I couldn’t believe that fox hunting was included in the manifesto.

“And if you are to do something about social care — and there needs to be something done — then what we do and how needs to be part of a big national conversation, not just be introduced in a six-week campaign.

“These are issues that need to be looked at and addressed.”